In general, a so-called “point of sale” (“POS”) system is broadly used in sales information management in stores, retail outlets, etc. A terminal unit in a POS system, which has a display/input panel for displaying and inputting various kinds of information, which can be observed and manipulated by both a customer and a salesperson who are facing each other, is desirable. As an example of such a terminal unit, there is a terminal unit with a configuration in which a single display panel is rotatably mounted on a main body with a support arm and its display part can be changed to an angle facing a customer and an angle facing a salesperson by the rotation of the arm.
When this terminal unit is operated by an operator (who may be, for example, a salesperson), the display surface of the display panel is positioned at an angle for easy operation and viewing by the operator. When the display content of the display panel is to be displayed to the customer, the display surface of the display panel is directed towards the customer facing the operator by rotating the arm.
In this case, since the operator usually operates the display panel surface of the terminal unit while standing, the display panel is supported at an angle slightly inclined from horizontal toward the operator when the display panel is facing the operator. But when the customer operates or views the terminal to obtain product information, etc., often the customer observes the display panel of the terminal unit while sitting in a chair across from (at the position opposite to) the salesperson/operator, and carries out operations, such as, for example, product selection. For this reason, the display panel is inclined at nearly a right angle (relative to the horizontal plane of the floor) so that the customer sitting on the chair can easily observe the display panel.
In many of the data display devices that are used as the terminal unit in a POS system, a built-in printer is installed in the main body of the device. This built-in printer is used to print out data input by using the display surface as a touch panel or by operating a keyboard or other input device connected to the terminal Input data may be information on sales of products and price data on products that are purchased by customers. In addition, the discharge opening for papers printed by this printer is usually installed on the main body surface facing the operator rather than the customer. The reason for this discharge opening placement is that the price totaling of the sales products, settlement processing of credit cards, etc., are carried out by the operator, and the resulting printing-out of papers from such processing are also frequently processed by the operator. For this reason, the discharge opening placement has focused on device operability and functionality from the perspective of the operator rather than the customer.
However, when the customer carries out an operation, such as product selection by manipulating/touching the display panel surface, there may be many cases where the customer may also want to obtain a paper that is printed out from the POS terminal as a result of customer actions or selections But in such cases, since the paper discharge opening of the built-in printer is provided at the operator side, opposite to the customer, it is difficult for the customer to directly obtain the printed-out paper. Needless to say, if the operator is present at the spot, the paper may be picked up by the operator; however, in cases where the operator is away from his/her seat, etc., the printed-out paper may not be readily obtainable until the operator returns, causing inconvenience to the customer desiring a printout from the POS terminal.
The objective of the embodiments of the invention is to provide a data display device whose visibility and operability are improved by variously changing the display direction and the display angle of a display panel.